Chapter 7 - The Interrogation of an Heiress
The basement interrogation cell of the 4th Precinct smelled of damp concrete, stale coffee, and institutional neglect. Audrey sat on a metal stool, her hands cuffed to an iron ring welded to the center of the steel table. They had stripped her of her ruined wedding dress, replacing it with an oversized gray jumpsuit that hung loosely on her frame.
Her phone, her jewelry, and the silver thumb drive had been confiscated.
The heavy metal door groaned open. Detective Miller, a thick-necked veteran with tired eyes and a crooked tie, walked in carrying a manila folder, followed by a middle-aged woman in an impeccably tailored navy suit.
Audrey recognized her immediately: Evelyn Vance, Julian’s estranged stepmother and the chief legal counsel for the Vance conglomerate.
""Leave us, Detective,"" Evelyn commanded without looking at him.
Miller hesitated, then tapped his badge. ""Ten minutes, Mrs. Vance. Cameras are on a loop, like you asked."" He closed the door behind him with a thud.
Audrey didn't flinch. ""So, the wicked stepmother arrives. I assume Julian survived the crash, or you wouldn't look so irritated.""
Evelyn set her crocodile-leather handbag on the table and pulled out a gold cigarette case, lighting a slim cigarette despite the no-smoking signs. ""Julian is in critical condition at St. Jude’s under twenty-four-hour police guard. The bullet missed his subclavian artery by three millimeters. He’s tough, like his father. Unfortunately for you, he is currently unable to testify that he handed you that gun willingly.""
""He gave me the drive containing your offshore transactions, Evelyn,"" Audrey countered, leaning forward against the pull of the chains. ""The SEC will have your entire board indicted by noon.""
Evelyn chuckled, exhaling a thin stream of gray smoke into Audrey’s face. ""What drive, my dear? The evidence locker logged your effects thirty minutes ago. A ruined veil, a pearl clutch, and eighty dollars in cash. Nothing more.""
Audrey's stomach hardened into ice. They had already purged the evidence.
""Michael was foolish to let his personal appetites ruin the timeline,"" Evelyn continued calmly. ""He was supposed to marry you, secure the logistics docks, and then you would have suffered a tragic honeymoon accident in the Mediterranean. But thanks to your theatrical performance in the ballroom, we had to accelerate the contingency plan.""
Evelyn reached into her briefcase and slid a single legal document across the table.
""Sign the unconditional conservatorship over Sterling Logistics to the joint oversight committee,"" Evelyn said. ""Do it, and the attempted murder charges against you disappear. You'll spend three years in a comfortable private sanitarium in Switzerland. Refuse, and your father will suffer a sudden, fatal stroke in his holding cell before dawn.""
Audrey froze. ""My father is in custody?""
""Conspiracy to defraud investors,"" Evelyn smiled coldly. ""The Sterling name is poison this morning, Audrey. Sign.""
Audrey looked down at the pen Evelyn placed on the metal table. Her fingers touched the cool plastic. Then, slowly, she looked up into Evelyn’s victorious eyes.
""You made one mistake,"" Audrey whispered.
Evelyn frowned. ""And what is that?""
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""You assumed Julian trusted you with his network."" Audrey smiled, a savage, predatory baring of teeth. ""The drive in my dress was a decoy. The actual files were uploading to the federal cloud the moment Julian’s biometric watch stopped moving in that car.""
The emergency sirens on the precinct roof suddenly began to wail.
